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. NUT ORAGKER. No. 522,846. Patented July 10, 1894.

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NITED STATES PATENT OFF CE.

SAMUEL MOORE, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

NUT-CRACKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 522,846, dated July 10,1894.

Application filed March 9. 1894. serial No. 505,568. (No model.)

full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the.

art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. I

My invention relates to certain novel irnprovcments in nut-crackers, and it consists essentially of a pair of handle-carrying jaw members fulcrumed or jointed together and a bent member fulcrumed to both the said jaw-members, arranged to form with the latter a supplemental or auxiliary pair of jaws, as will be more fully hereinafter set forth and claimed. I

The object I have in view is to produce a nut-cracker having a greater range or capacity than implements of this class as hitherto constructed, the improved nut-cracker at the same time being comparatively inexpensive, very strong and durable and not liable to become broken in use.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings Figurel represents a side elevation of my improved nut-cracker, and Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the same, taken on line a: a: of Fig. 1.

In the drawings A indicates my improved nut-cracker complete.

The upper and lower jaw-members a and b, respectively, are jointed orfulcrumedtogether. As drawn, a short link d unites the two members at the forward ends. The opposite or rear end portions of these members are provided with handles 71; these latter may be integral with the jaws or they may be secured thereto in any well known manner. The lower member I) is prolonged or extended beyond the joint or fulcrum, as at b, to form a fulcrum or joint for the auxiliary jaw c soon to be described. The last named jawmember, 0, is bent, its form being substantially U-shape. One end of the piece is fulcrumed to the extension I) of the lower jaw, as before stated, the other end being jointed to the upper member a at a point contiguous to the handle. The said end may extend through the jaw CL and engage the lower or fellow member b, thus forming a stop 0 for limiting the distance between the jaws when fully closed. 7

If desired the jaws may be kept normally separated by means of aspring 8; its free end bearing against the member 0. The dotted lines in Fig. 1, indicate the position and relation of the several parts when thus opened.

My improved nut-cracker may be made of any suitable material, as for example, malleable iron, steel, &c. I prefer, however, to use steel rods or wire for the purpose, as it combines great strength and rigidity with lightness. The adjacent faces a of the several jaws are corrugated or roughened in any suitable manner, for obvious purposes.

The manner of operating my improved nutcracker is as follows: The size of the nut-receiving space m between the jaws a and b is controlled by the act of opening and closing the jaws, substantially as usual in implements of this class. But in order to use the device for cracking nuts of larger size and requiring more power to break them I place the nuts in the space m between the open jaw-members c and a and then close them. The act of thus closing the jaws will materially contract the space an by the joint rising of the front end of the member a. and the depression of the coacting member 0. It will be observed that by means of the novel arrangement of the parts the device may be successfully used for cracking a class of hard shell nuts which hitherto it has been deemed impracticable to accomplish with nut-crackers as usually constructed; this advantage is due to the fact that a much greater purchase or leverage is provided.

The nut-cracker may be highly finished and made quite ornamental if desired without detracting from its efficiency.

iVhile I am well aware that hand-operated nut-crackers have hitherto been provided simply with the usual jaw-members, as a and b, jointed or fulcrumed together at the forward ends by an interposed link, as d, I be lieve the combination with such members of an auxiliary or supplemental jaw member to be both novel and useful.

I claim as my invention 1. As an improved article of manufacture, a nut-cracker consisting of a pair of handle- -carrying jaw members fulcrumed together and a bent member fulcrumed to both the said jaw members, arranged to form therewith a supplemental or auxiliary pair of jaws, substantially as described.

2. The combination with two jaw members jointed together,ot' a supplemental jaw member jointed thereto arranged to work in unison therewith, substantially as described.

3. The combination with two movable hantile-members fnlcrnmed together to form a pair of jaws, of a third member jointed to both the said jaw members and arranged to form another or supplemental pair of jaws, whereby the act of opening and closing the said handle-members produces a simultaneous and corresponding movement of the supplemental jaws, substantially as described.

4. The combination with the jaw member a and the jaw-member]; fnlcrumed thereto and extending beyond the joint orfulcrum, of the supplemental javwmember c jointed to said extension and to the other member a, substantially as described.

5. The nut-cracker hereinbefore described, consisting in the combination of the jawmember a, the jaw-member I) provided with an extension I), a link d connecting said members, a bent jaw-member c jointed to said extension and to the member a, and a jaw-opening spring, all arranged and. adapted for operation substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

SAMUEL MOORE.

Witnesses:

Gno. H. REMINGTON, IDA M. WARREN. 

